Almost 6700 kilometers ...

Servus!

Hab mich ja jetzt hier schon ne Weile nicht mehr verewigt, um genau zu sein seit mehr als 2 Wochen und da ich grad nicht besonders viel Zeit habe (wie immer) hier mal ein kurzer Abriss der letzten 2 Wochen:

16.12. Thursday
"Red dot district museum" in Port Elizabeth about History of Apartheid and Townships
Drive around PE to watch out for the landscape in bad weather conditions

17.12. Friday
We had a traditional Breakfast at the Nanga Padstall, drove along an amazing Pass (Oilifantskop) and vistited the Addo Elephant National Park.

18.12. Saturday
I have to leave PE and on my way through the whole country to josy i stopped at the Valley of Desolation (ancient landscape) next to Graff-Reinet and got to Nieu-Bethesda late in the evining passing a huge Thunderstorm (special thing is, only lightnings, no thunderbolts).

19.12. Sunday
Nieu-Bethesda is in the middle of nowhere, but was host for a very famous female artist living in the now called Owl-House. Very feautiful drawings on the walls and statues in the garden. Also the Old mill and the Brewery are worth a visit. On the way to Bloemfontein (boring city) i passed the Gariep-Dam (biggest in SA). I took easy sunday evening watching bayern vs. Stuttgart in the hostel.
The night in Nieu Bethesda and Bloemfontein were really bad, because of two different reasons, first: mosquitos; second: bunch of black time workers :(

20.12. Monday
A really boring drive to Josy (landscape flat like russian tundra) got me to the JIA awaiting and collecting marco there. The traffic in josy can be described with „busy“ :D (never say sth. against german traffic again). In the evening we talked a lot and had some beers in a shebeena (old word for a place where only blacks were allowed to eat and alcohol was prohibited, but sold anyway)

21.12. Tuesday
Visiting the Cradle of Mankind and an old Dam near Josy. Drive-around the city and suburbs and townships aswell (sowetho – biggest ts in za)

22.12. Wednesday
Long visit to the Apartheid-Museum and a drive to sabie next in the Drakensberge through the Steenkampsberge (nice landscape).

23.12. Thursday
We drove along the Panaroma-Route along the Drakensberge passing MacMac-Pools, MacMac-Falls, Berlin Falls, Gods-Window, Rain Forest, Bourke`s Luck Potholes and the Blyde River Canyon (often compared to the grand canyon).
In the evening we searched for some Glowing Mushrooms at the Waterfalls in sabie (and found them)

24.12. Friday
Driving through the rain to hazeyview next to the Kruger Park and trying to get an accomondation (offers between 600-900$ pP/pN). So we got to a hostel in hazeyview (well, sometime there are good hostels and sometimes bad one). Did our Christmas shopping at picknplay (dont try to imagine what was going on :D). My Christmas Present to Marco was a 5ltr package of a „good“ natural sweet rosé (and some jollys aswell), aisch ...

25.12. Saturday 1st Christmas-Day
Both weaking up with a big Headache. In the evening the first Safari Night-Drive seeing some bufallos, hyenas, owls, impalas, hippos, crocs far away, some monkeys got us into heavy Rain and a thunderstorm (streets nearly under water). But we had a good christmas-meal after that back in the hostel.

26.12. Sunday 2nd Christmas-Day
We had to get up at 3 o´clock for a Bush-Walk seeing the rhino, impalas, maybe a leopard or a wild-dog (was too fast). Good breakfast and then we took the drive to st. lucia through nelspruit, around swaziland along highways in a terrible condition. On the night i had my first complete own braai (marco was excited, never had that good meat before :D). "I made myself to fruits" dancing a traditionel zulu-dance (i hope the video will delete own his own :D). Got into a bar with the first good Pool-Table for Marco in SA, we beat every local team (just loosing 2 in 14 matches). Marco fall in love with a girl (just virtually =), i was falling in love with double club-dright-cola (brandy and coke).

27.12. Monday
We had to get up to early again (u know: headache danger like 100%) and were walking around st. lucia for 1 ½ hrs searching for the meeting point for kayak tours we booked. Unfortunatly it was to windy, so we took a Horse-Ride on the beach.
And spent the rest on the beach and again in the pub with the guys from sa.

28.12. Tuesday
No more wind, kayking time ;). Crocs like 3 meters away and hippos you can reach with your paddel. Yeaaaahaaa. But don´t worry, driving around sa is much more dangerous, especially for secure drivers like marco. But he did a quite good job. And we arrived alive after 8hrs in coffee-bay. No, not really. It took us this time till the junction to cb (700km), the last 80km took another 2 1/2 hrs (high density, bad road, no road, unbelivable)

29.12. Wednesday
Awakening with about 100 stiches per arm or feet we got to the hole in the wall. Really nice landscape again driving through the wild-transkeei. I have to say the Kia approved his off-road-qualities on this drive finally! Everybody driven 4x4-Cars stopped and asked us if we are crazy going there with this car. But we did ;) In the evening we had a good traditional supper and a lot of conversations to locals (and a good time at the bar aswell)

30.12. Thursday
A nearly perfect sleep without any mosquitos (thx luca for the anti-oil) and a perfect breakfast got us strong enough for our surfing lessons in the noon. Now i almost tried boarding under every circumstance and ground (snow, water, sand, street). And it worked perfect! First wave, first try, first ride, i call this natural talent :D Maybe i was just lucky cause the next waves tumbled me down nearly every time ;)
Afterwards we drove to Port Elizabeth and ran almost out of gas. Everybody who knows me well, knows what this means (the lamp for empty gas burned almost 120kms and marco got a little bit crazy). Just stay calm!

31.12. Friday and New Years Eve!
Getting a rest and preparing for the biggest party of the year right at the Beach! And writing this blogg-entry aswell!

Jo, so schauts aus! Ein Jahr voller Höhen und Tiefen nimmt ein hoffentlich gutes Ende! Ich wünsche euch allen eine wunderschöne Silvesternacht (die wenigsten werden das wohl noch lesen), aber defintiv einen guten Start ins neue Jahr und alles gute für euch und eure Liebsten! Und auch schöne Grüße vom Marco ;)

Sven